Harper moves to rein in government spending, cut jobs

The Toronto Star reports that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has eliminated more than 10,000 positions in the past six months. The cuts are part of Harper's plan to wipe out Canada's $26 billion deficit by 2015.

“We deliberately tried to fast forward as many decisions as possible to give our employees certainty as soon as possible and also to reach our goals as soon as possible,” said Tony Clement, president of Canada's Treasury Board. “We are definitely on track and we believe it is absolutely critical to rein in spending at this point, that we have to exercise prudent fiscal management.”